


Dragons; a story with an OC protagonist

by Last_Dragonlord



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:54:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 20,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26753164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Last_Dragonlord/pseuds/Last_Dragonlord
Summary: This is a story set in the Merlin universe, involving many of the characters from that universe. An original character, Kaia, is the main character of the story. Many of the things in this story are possibly factually incorrect. I might take this down if it gets negative reviews. The girl Kaia is a magic user, and a dragonlord, and befriends Merlin in the story. At this time, Arthur is king, and in love with Gwen. However, Gwen is in love with Lancelot. A relationship develops between Arthur and Kaia eventually, but it is a very slow burner. The story is more centered around Kaia and her journey with magic.
Relationships: Arthur/Kaia (Merlin)
Kudos: 5





	1. Kaia's POV

“Evænlyn.” Kaia said in the dragon tongue, her eyes briefly turning golden. As the egg cracked, she gasped. The baby dragon was a beautiful shade of forest green, yet her eyes were bright and golden. She raised her wings to the sky and looked around excitedly, and then her eyes turned to Kaia. Kaia smiled, and then to her surprise, the dragon leapt right into her arms. It purred affectionately, and then closed its eyes.

Kaia stroked its back momentarily, but then she remembered. She was near Camelot, and if anyone saw her, they would kill her. She was the last dragonlord, after all. They would kill Evænlyn as well, and she couldn't let that happen. 

She bundled the baby dragon up in her cloak, and then tossed the hood over her own head. She hurried off into the woods, back to the old shack she called home. 

It wasn't much. As she placed the dragon down on her bed, which was just a blanket on the floor, she looked around at the shabby interior with new eyes. All that was there was a table and a chair, and a few logs in the fireplace.

“Infærno.” She muttered, and a fire began to crackle. She sat down in the chair, which she was sure would break any day. Moss was already creeping up the wood. She grabbed a few vegetables from the table, as well as a chunk of fresh meat, and tossed them into a pot. “Aguælo flœm.” The pot filled with a few inches of water. She hung it over the fire and stirred it with a wooden ladle. 

She took off her cloak and threw it over by the door. A gust of wind worked its way through the broken window, making the baby dragon stir. Kaia watched the dragon for a few seconds to make sure it was still asleep, and then she continued to cook the stew.

Soon it was ready, and she began to eat. But then she realized that she did not yet know what the dragon would eat. She reached over to stroke Evænlyn, and then offered her some of the stew. The dragon ate it up quickly, and then tilted its head, asking for more.

“That's all.” Kaia said in the dragon tongue. “Sorry. I don't have much.” She looked back into the pot, and saw that there was barely any stew left. She began to eat it, but stopped herself. Instead, she gave it to Evænlyn, who gobbled it right up. She has gone many nights without eating. She would just be sure to make more stew the next day.

“Time to rest, Evænlyn.” Kaia said, laying down and rolling into the tattered blanket. She lifted up her arm and the little green dragon crawled in beside her. “Tomorrow will be a big day! We’ll go exploring, and hunting, and…” she yawned, and closed her eyes. 

A few weeks passed, and then one morning, she was awoken by wide, bright golden eyes right in her face. She laughed, stroking Evænlyn’s back and sitting up. “Time to go find something to eat!” She announced in the dragon tongue.

She let Evænlyn rest on her shoulder as they walked through the trees, but when they got to a clearing, Kaia set her down. She laughed and smiled as the baby dragon ran around, sniffing at everything. 

Evænlyn was the dragon’s word for earth. It was a very fitting name for the moss green dragon, who blended in with the forest as if she were invisible. Kaia could see a playful look in the dragon that she knew would stay forever, as well as some form of elegance that would soon emerge.

She shifted her brown tunic, which was in tatters. Kaia had not seen another human in months, and had not been into any sort of town and village in years. She lived a few miles from Camelot, which was dangerously close in her mind. Anyone who had any magic whatsoever would be killed by the king, Uther. She was not safe there. No one was. But she knew that if she left, she would have nothing. No house, no knowledge of the land around her. Though if she stayed, and Evænlyn grew bigger, they could be discovered.

And then she heard voices.

“Evænlyn!” She said quietly, beckoning the dragon towards her. The baby leapt up onto her arm, and she ran back to her shack. Which was the wrong choice.

The door was open, and there were people inside. She caught a few of their words- “The logs in the fireplace are still warm. Someone has been here recently. Whoever it was isn't here right now, but they could be back.”

Kaia looked down at the dragon in her arms, and then turned on her heel and sprinted away as fast as she could. But one of the men in her house heard her. “Sire! Someone is running! It could be them!” She heard a man yell.

“Don't just sit there, chase him!” Someone yelled from inside of the shack. 5 men in full chainmail began to chase her. 

“Sire! It's a girl!” One man yelled.

“Stop running, girl, we need to speak with you!” Another called. But Kaia didn't stop running. She drew her sword from its sheath, transferring Evænlyn to her left arm only. 

“She’s armed, my lord! She’s hostile!” Kaia felt her stomach drop at these words. She knew these were knights, but if one of them was ‘my lord,’ that could only mean one thing. King Uther. She had never seen him before, so she did not know what he looked like- how old or young he was, or which one of the 5 men he could be. All she knew about him was that he’d murder anyone who he even suspected of having magic.

“Hey, stop running! We mean you no harm!” They continued to chase her. They were gaining. Soon they would see the dragon. She only had one choice. 

“Ikthæ amubæ!” She yelled, and then she shot up into the treetops. Then men all skidded to a halt, looking up in shock. Kaia could now see a sixth man, but he was not in any sort of armor. He was wearing a blue tunic, and had a ragged red scarf around his neck.

“She used magic, my lord.” One man told the man who was presumably king Uther. “What should we do?” He asked.

“Stay where you are, girl!” The king called. He was surprisingly young and handsome. His hair was a light and dusty blonde, and even from this distance she could tell that his eyes were the same blue as the sky. The man without the armor rushed to the king’s side. “Merlin, I need you to find a way to get her down from there.”

“Yes, Arthur.” Arthur! Uther’s son, not the king himself. Unless… Arthur could be the king now, if Uther had died. 

Then she saw the boy, Merlin, eyeing her warily. She glared at him and began to climb father into the trees, hiding Evænlyn with her cloak. He frowned, and then she nearly fell out of the tree with shock when she heard his voice in her head.

_ Don’t worry. I'll help you. I have magic, too. _

She stopped climbing higher, and looked back at him, eyes wide.  _ You do? But you live in Camelot! How have you not been killed? _

_ I am the king Arthur’s manservant, and have been for the past 10 or so years. He doesn't suspect me, and I don't think he ever will. I've saved his life more times than I can count, and he doesn't even know it. _

_ Wait- King Arthur? Isn't Uther king?” _

_ Uther died just this year. Arthur is king now. Magic is still illegal in Camelot, though.  _

“Merlin! Stop just staring at the trees! We need to find a way to get her down! She practices magic, and she must be put to a trial.”

“I think I have an idea, my lord, but I'll need you all to go get some rope and some wood.” He told Arthur and the knights.

“But if we all leave, the girl could get away!” One of the knights exclaimed.

“I'll stay here to stand watch, and make sure she doesn't get away.” Merlin said. Then she heard his voice in her head again.  _ Start climbing down. You won't have long. When they leave, you have to knock me out and run so then it looks real and they don't suspect me of letting you get away easily. _

_ Understood. But I can't just jump down with…  _ she paused. She couldn't tell him about Evænlyn, even though he was magic like her. She knew nothing about him, and he was a friend of Camelot- if he found out about her being a dragonlord, he might let it slip and she would surely be executed.

_ With what? Do you have any injuries?  _ And then out loud: “Well? Are you going to go or not, clotpole?” He told Arthur.

“Right. Let's go.” Arthur called his men, and then glared back at Merlin. “Merlin, you idiot, you can't address me like that.”

“Okay, dollop head.” Merlin shrugged.

“Merlin!” Arthur shook his head, walking away. Kaia nearly laughed, but she stopped herself. It was obvious there was a large friendship between the king and his servant, even if neither of them would admit it.

_ Hurry up! I'll catch you with my magic. If you have any wounds, I can treat them. Quickly, though, because they could be back any minute! _

_ I don't have any wounds. I just…  _ she sighed, holding the cloak and Evænlyn with one arm.  _ I have something fragile to carry. _

_ Well, toss it down first then, and I will catch it. We need to hurry! _

_ No, it's not an object! It's…  _ she held the baby dragon in both of her arms, hiding it from sight.  _ My magic isn't similar to yours. It's much different. I have different powers, different talents…  _ she prepared herself to jump.  _ Catch me, please. _

She leapt from the tree, and she was slowly lowered to the ground by magic. When her feet hit the ground, she smiled slightly, but then frowned. “I can't tell you my name, Merlin. It's too risky.”

“Why?” He asked. “I swear I won't tell anyone.”

“Nobody can know who I am.” She shook her head. “Not even you. Now I really have to go. I can't let them see her.”

“See who?” Merlin asked.

“Never mind that. Everyone thinks my kind are dead, and if they knew that I was here, they'd have me killed immediately.”

“Your kind?”

“Stop asking so many questions. I can't answer them. Should I knock you out now?” She took her sword out again, and twirled it around in her hand. And then Evi squeaked from within her cloak. She shushed her, but the baby dragon didn't listen to her. “Hush, Evænlyn.” She said in the dragon tongue. “Well? Should I?”

“What was that? You just spoke in the dragon tongue! That's a dragon!”

“How would you know?” She asked warily.

“Because you're not… I thought I was…”

“Okay. I'm a dragonlord. The last dragonlord. But you can't tell anyone! I should probably knock you out right now!” She held up the sword.

“You can't be the last dragonlord!” He shook his head, looking very confused. “Because  _ I’m  _ the last…” But it was too late. She had already brought the butt of the sword crashing down on his head. He fell to the ground, leaving her with many questions. Then she ran, not looking back, Evænlyn bundled in her arms.

She knew she couldn't go back to her house. They knew where that was, now, and they would probably go back to it when they came back to find Merlin unconscious. 

Kaia needed food. She was practically starved, not having eaten since the last day’s breakfast. But she had to run at least a mile away before she stopped. Then the thought came to her that they might be able to track her footprints. She cast a spell to cover her tracks from then on, as well as setting another trail of footprints leading to her left to set them off.

She tried not to think about Merlin- she would never see him again, of course- but it seemed to her as if he had almost said that he, too, was the last dragonlord. Maybe she was mistaken, or maybe she wasn't. But if he was the last dragonlord, well, then he wasn't. Neither was she. If there were two dragonlords left, there was no “last dragonlord.” 

But she was most likely mistaken, she told herself, and decided that she would do her best to erase the boy, Merlin, from her mind. She was out of breath when she reached a good stopping point- a river. She decided that she would cross it and then continue looking for food as if nothing had ever happened. “Glanculæ dœra du fæy.” Her eyes glowed gold, and then she took a running jump across the river. The spell carried her easily over the huge jump and to the other side. Then she set Evænlyn down. 


	2. Merlin's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin helps Kaia

There was something about the girl- her tangled brown hair, her blue and green sea-glass eyes, her dirty skin, and her ruined men’s clothing- even before he knew that she was magic, he could tell that there was something different about her.

And when she cast her spell, allowing her to jump up into the trees, his suspicions were confirmed. She was definitely different.

She glared down at him, her big eyes easily narrowing into a more menacing look. But then he transmitted to her, and her anger was replaced with confusion.

She was a beautiful girl, but her living conditions kept her far from what she could be. Dirt stained her face and hands, and her hair was tangled in many places. She was confident, he would give her that, and nearly as tall as Merlin himself. The way she held the sword reminded him of Arthur in a way, and he realized that she was very skilled with the blade, as well as in magic. 

But when he heard her speak in the dragon language to the bundle in her arms, he was speechless. He didn't know what to say. She quickly hit him over the head, and left him unconscious and in wonder.

He awoke to Arthur shaking him, worry in his eyes and voice as he called his name. Merlin didn't open his eyes for a while, and he heard Arthur’s nervous tangent.

“He's not waking up! The girl must have cast a spell. We need to get him back to Gaius immediately to counter this!” Arthur told his men. “Oh, gods, what was I thinking, leaving Merlin to guard her- she’s a sorceress, he’s just… someone find a way to carry him!”

“But sire, the girl! We still have to find her!”

“Never mind the girl! I can't lose Merlin. We need to head back  _ now. _ ” Arthur began to pace. Merlin kept his eyes closed for a while longer, seeing how this would play out.

“But the girl… we need to go after her!”

“The girl doesn't matter as long as Merlin is hurt. Okay, Percival, you help me carry him.” Arthur reached down to grab Merlin around the middle.

“Ouch, hey! I'm fine, Arthur!” Merlin said immediately. Arthur's nervous expression immediately changed.

“Merlin, you idiot! You let the girl get away! Come, we have to go after her.” The knights exchanged skeptical looks. “Well? Are you just going to stand here all day? This girl is our first priority!”

“But you just said…” Gwaine began. 

“I said nothing. Right, Elyan?”

“Yes, of course. Nothing, sire.” Elyan rolled his eyes. He exchanged another look with Gwaine. They both shrugged.

“Oww, my head hurts…” Merlin groaned when he tried to sit up.

“What's wrong? Did the little girl bump you on the head?” Gwaine asked. Merlin frowned, rubbing his head.

“She wasn't a little girl. She was taller than you, I’d say.” He pointed out.

“Oh, that's great. So you had the time to assess her height and compare it to Gwaine’s, but not to stop her from hitting you.” Arthur sighed. “I honestly don't know what to do with you, Merlin.”

“She had magic! I couldn't stop her alone!” 

“Well, that's true. You couldn't stop her even if she  _ didn't  _ have magic, either.” Arthur held out a hand to help him to his feet. “Don't worry, Merlin, We'll get her for this.” Arthur clapped him on the shoulder.

“She's just a girl, Arthur, do we really have to?”

“Morgause was “Just a girl.’ So was Morgana. And they are both extremely evil, and now we wish we would have stopped them earlier. Just like we could stop this girl now.”

“But… okay.” Merlin sighed.

“We should go check back at her house. She might have ran there.” Percival suggested.

“No, we would have seen her. Besides, she probably thought of that. She won't be there.” Leon pointed out.

“Right. We should look for some tracks.” As they looked around, Merlin closed his eyes to transmit to the girl.

_ Magic girl, whatever your name is, they're not going for your house. They're looking for tracks. Just be aware of that. _

After a few seconds, she replied.  _ I already set a fake trail. Why are you helping me? Your duty is to Camelot and the knights, not to me. I really can't talk to you. I can't have connections to outside sources. _

_ But why?  _ He asked.

_ Because I am the last dragonlord, and I am also the keeper of the last dragon. If anyone finds me, they'll find Evænlyn too. _

_ The last dragonlord? The last dragon? You are mistaken. _

_ What do you mean? All of the dragons were killed by Uther, as well as the dragonlords. _

_ Not all of the dragons. One was left alive. And he didn't kill all of the dragonlords… my father escaped. _

_ So that means… _

_ Yeah. I'm a dragonlord, too. And I have a baby dragon, as well. Aithusa.  _

_ What?  _

_ Yep. I rescued the egg from a tomb. Aithusa is a white dragon, named after the sun. He is still very young, and very lonely. He doesn't have a mother or a father or anyone to play with. _

_ Well, Evænlyn just hatched a few weeks ago. I thought we were safe… apparently not. _

_ I have a safe place for Aithusa. Nobody will ever find him there. _

_ Where? _

_ In Camelot, actually. Where the great dragon was kept. _

_ That's the literal opposite of safe. Anywhere in Camelot is. _

_ Not this place. He can exit through the hold in the roof, and it's basically this huge cave equivalent to one that a dragon would live in in the wild. Thousands of hiding spots. _

_ Well. That sounds somewhat safe. Congratulations. _

_ No, I'm not just telling you this. I'm offering… well, Evænlyn could stay there, too. Meet another of her kind. She'd be guaranteed safety. _

_ But I wouldn't. They've seen my face. _

_ Not closely enough. And if you washed it, you'd look like an entirely different person. They wouldn't be able to tell who you were. You could stay in Camelot until Evænlyn is big enough to fly away with you on her back. And then you can leave safely, as far away as you want. _

_ That sounds like a good plan, but it's risky. I'll never be able to practice magic, and if I do, I'll be discovered and killed. _

_ That's what I thought, too. But I've used magic hundreds of time, and I've never been caught. Arthur thinks I'm some idiot for always just sitting around doing nothing, but I’ve actually saved his life with magic so many times. If only he knew. _

_ He'll find out one day, and then you'll have your moment. _

_ Sure. _

_ No, really. You'll be recognized for your heroic deeds soon enough. And Arthur doesn't just think you're an idiot. He sees you as a friend. If I know that after watching you for a minute, you should know it, too. _

Merlin was silent for a few seconds, and he looked around at his companions. They were all looking at him.

“Well? Snapped out of your trance yet?” Gwaine asked.

“What? Oh, sorry.” Merlin rubbed his head again, and Arthur laughed.

“Honestly, Merlin, you looked like you were under some kind of spell.” Arthur said. “Wait. Are you?” He asked, rushing forwards. “Maybe that girl put some sort of spell on you! Merlin, you could be terribly sick. We have to get you back to Camelot!”

“No, no, I don't think she did.”

“That’s exactly what someone under an evil witch’s spell would say.” Arthur pointed out.

_ Merlin? You there?  _ The girl asked

_ Yes, just talking with the knights. _

“Merlin! You're doing it again!” Arthur cried, and he grabbed Merlin by the arm. “That's it. I'm taking you straight to Gaius.”

“Um, Arthur? I'm fine. And we want to find the girl, remember?”

“The girl will come back to her house eventually. For now, we have to bring Merlin back.”

“No, Arthur, I really am fine! Perfectly fine. You don't have to worry. We can go after the girl, you dollop-head.”

“Only the real Merlin would call you a dollop-head, sire. I think this is him.” Elyan pointed out. 

“Yeah, it's me, you clotpoles!” He rolled his eyes.

“Definitely him. Let's go.” Percival began walking, and the others followed. Arthur reluctantly agreed. Merlin made sure to focus on looking normal as he transmitted to the girl.

_ Okay, good for now. We're on your trail. I'll be able to sense the fake one, and I'll lead them that way. _

_ Thanks. _

_ It's weird talking to you without a name to call you by. Can you please just tell me? _

_ I can't. _

_ Yes you can, I swear I won't say anything. Please? At least give me something- a fake name, even. Just something to call you. _

_ Banana. Call me banana. _

_ You're hilarious.  _ He replied.  _ No, really.  _

_ I can't tell you. You'll think of something. If I tell you, I put my life in danger. _

_ Okay then.  _

_ Yeah. Remember, don't say anything. _

_ I won't, I swear. Now I have a plan to get you into Camelot. Gaius knows about my magic and about Aithusa and everything, so you're safe with us. Anyways, double back in the opposite direction of your trail in the woods. I'll meet you at Camelot by sunrise. Wait in the woods near the front gate and lay low. _

_ Okay. Got it. But how will you get away? _

_ I'll take the first watch. Then I'll leave some marks on the ground to signify a battle of some sort, and I'll run away. _

_ Won't they be worried? _

_ Oh, they will. But I'll be a whole day ahead of them, and they won't know which way I've been taken. _

_ But when they get back to Camelot and they find you there, and they see me, won't they be suspicious? _

_ When we get to Camelot, you have to pretend to be my cousin Faythe. I'll start calling you that now. _

_ Okay. That makes sense. _

_ Yeah. So, I'll see you then. _

_ Thanks. _

_ No problem, Faythe. _

“Are you sure this is the right trail?” Merlin asked when they reached the place that she had used the spell. “Look, it goes off that way, it doesn't continue forwards.”

“Good eye, Merlin.” Arthur nodded. “Guys, the trail goes this way!”

_ They're on the fake trail now.  _ Merlin told her. 

_ Good. I'm on my way to the gates of Camelot. I'll wash off in the river on my way there so I'll be less recognizable. _

_ We’ll also get you some different clothes while we're there. _

_ Good idea. _

They followed the fake trail for about an hour, and then decided to make camp. “She can't have gone on for much longer, and it's getting dark out. We should stop.”

_ They're making camp. _

_ I'm nearly at Camelot. Try to get away as soon as you can! _

_ I will. It might be a few hours, though. It's a couple of miles. _

_ Okay. But please hurry as fast as you can. Evænlyn is hungry, and so am I. We couldn't find any food today, thanks to your knights, and I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. _

_ Faythe! That was forever ago! I'll hurry, I promise. _

“Okay, who's got the first shift?” Percival asked.

“I’ll take it.” Merlin announced.

“Okay, good. I'm looking forward to a little rest. Wake me in a few hours so I can take over.” Arthur yawned and laid down. Merlin waited a few minutes until they were all snoring, and then muttered a spell to make a fight scene in the dirt before running off, covering his tracks with magic.

_ I'm on my way. _

_ Okay, I'm trying to sleep. _

_ Sorry.  _ Merlin continued to jog through the forest back to Camelot. In two hours, he had reached the forest in front of Camelot. 

_ I'm here, Faythe, wake up.  _ He got a reply in a few seconds. 

_ Okay, let's go then. You'll find me easily, I'm right at the edge of it.  _ Merlin trudged through the woods until he reached the girl. He almost didn't recognize her. The tangles in her hair were gone, leaving a reddish-brown sheen falling down her back. Her skin was clean now, and her eyes were bright. But there was a fear behind them. Her tall, thin form matched his own, and he realized that people would be easily convinced that they were cousins.

“Let's go. Here, I’ll carry Evænlyn.” He held out his arms, but she drew the bundle back from him protectively.

“Sorry. I just… I'm not even sure if you really are a dragonlord. What if you're just lying?” She had never thought of this before. “Prove it first.”

“Okay, here you go, then.” He said in the dragon tongue. She nodded and hesitantly handed him the bundle. “Follow me. I can get us through the gates.” They walked up to the gates, and Merlin waved to the guards. “Hello!” He said.

“Merlin! You're back. Who is this? And where are the others?” One of them asked, looking over at the girl.

“This is my cousin, Faythe. I ran into her on our expedition, and decided to take her back.” He explained. “Faythe” gave a convincing smile.

“Go on, go on. You both look like you need some food and rest.”

Merlin led her into the castle, and up to Gaius’s area. He opened the door slowly, and then rushed across the floor, up some stairs, and behind a door.

“Merlin!” He heard her hiss. “Merlin, what about Evi? We can't have her here!”

“You're right. I'll bring her down to where Aithusa is.” He said, changing directions.

“I'm coming with you.”

“No, you're not. Go to sleep. I'll keep her safe.” He started down the hall _. _

_ Merlin!!  _ She transmitted furiously.

_ You can have my room. Grab some food and then go to sleep. I'll be sure to feed Evi too. _

_ Fine.  _

_ Okay good. We're there. _

_ That's nice. I really would have liked to see them meet for the first time, though. _

_ Oh. Sorry.  _ Merlin felt a bit guilty when he realized this. But when he entered the cave, Aithusa greeted him with a purr. He held out Evænlyn, and Aithusa bounded forwards to sniff her. The younger dragon leapt out of his arms and onto the ground, and Merlin smiled as the two dragons began to explore the cave together. Aithusa could barely fly, so he couldn't go very far out into the cave.

“Good night!” He called in the dragon tongue. Both dragons looked over at him briefly and then continued to walk around. He set down enough meat to feed them both, and then left.

_ I'm on my way back. _

_ Do they get along? _

_ Yeah. We can come and see them in the morning. _

_ I wonder if Arthur and the others have awoken to find you gone yet. _

_ Don't worry, I'm sure they don't really care. I'm just a servant after all.  _ He told her, but he knew that he wasn't just a servant to them. He was a friend. 

_ Ha, ha. Arthur's probably going to stab himself to join you in the afterlife if he thinks anything has happened to you. _

_ That dollop-head would more likely stab himself by accident. He's talented with a sword, but he's not exactly smart. That reminds me, you can fight with a sword as well.  _ He continued down the hallway. 

_ Oh yeah. I've been training myself ever since I was little. My parents abandoned me when I was very young, so I had to learn to defend myself. _

Merlin opened the door to the area, and found the girl sitting silently at the table, a slice of bread in her hands. 

“My father left before I was born. A year or so ago, I found him again and saw him for the first time. The next day, he died.”

“Wow. That's really harsh, I'm sorry.” She said. “I can't even…” she looked down. “I'd give anything to see my parents again. Even though they did abandon me. I don't know the full story, actually… maybe they were taken from me, I don't know. But to have them ripped away from me the next day?” She shuddered.

“And worse, I couldn’t tell anyone he was my father. Since he was a dragonlord, that would mean that I was, too.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, Arthur was like, ‘Sucks that this random dude is dead, but let's move on.’ And I couldn't even act sad or he'd be suspicious.” Merlin paused. “What are you eating?”

“Oh, sorry, sire, I just saw it and thought-”

“First of all…” Merlin laughed. “Never,  _ ever _ call me sire. I am a servant, nothing more. And second, I was only stating that it was not enough. Here, have some of this as well.” Merlin held out a plate of roasted meat in front of her. She grinned at him and took it tentatively.

“I just didn't know how much to take, so I took as little as I could.”

“You are far too courteous, Faythe. For all we know, you could be the daughter of a noble, and I should be calling  _ you  _ sire. Well, no, not sire, of course, but the female equivalent.” The girl laughed.

“I don't think so.” She finished up eating and he showed her to his room.

“You sleep here.” He gestured to the bed. She looked at the bed with surprise. “Is something wrong?” He asked nervously.

“No, no, I just… I've never slept in a real bed before.” She said quietly. Merlin smiled sadly.

“Well, you get one tonight. And for as many nights as you stay here.” 

“Thank you, thank you!” She exclaimed. He put his finger to his lips and gestured to where Gaius was sleeping. She apologized, but he dismissed it. 

“He can sleep through a parade, for goodness sakes. I wouldn't worry about waking him.” Merlin assured her. “I'll have to explain to him tomorrow why you're here.”

“Do you think he’ll fall for it? Me being Faythe?”

“I’m not even going to try lying. There's no way he’ll fall for it. He just won't. He always knows, somehow.”

“Great.” She sighed. 

“Now go to sleep! We’ll go and see the dragons in the morning.” Merlin left the room, closing the door quietly. He grabbed a blanket from the corner of the room, and then used a sack of grain for a pillow. He had used to sleep like that for a while, so he didn't mind. 


	3. Arthur's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur meets Kaia

The birds were chirping and the sun was shining. All of the knights slowly awakened. “Hey, how come nobody woke me to take watch?” Leon asked.

“Nobody woke me, either.” The rest of the knights echoed.

“Merlin never woke me in the first place!” Arthur rolled his eyes. “Speaking of Merlin, where is he?”

“Probably collecting firewood, sire. Or maybe looking for more food.”

“Well, if he's not back in 5 minutes I'm going to go after him.” Arthur announced. “That boy has been known to get himself into trouble from time to time.” 

“Well, let's clean up camp and get ready to go after the girl. Can you still see the tracks?” Elyan looked around, frowning.

“There they… no, those aren't the tracks.” Leon shook his head and walked over to the marks on the ground. “There's some boot prints here, and some sword slashes in the tree. It looks as if there's been some kind of fight. And then there's these footprints leading away…”

“Let me see.” Arthur rushed over. “These belong to Merlin. The footprints. He has these huge feet, I'd recognize them anywhere.” Then his eyes widened. “Wait. What does this mean? A fight… who won?”

“If Merlin had, I’m sure he would have awoken us.” Gwaine pointed out. “Maybe his opponent killed him, or injured him or something, and took him away.”

“No! They can't have!” Arthur shouted, slamming his bare fist into a tree. “Hurry up, my men! We must go after him!”

“So basically, finding the girl is the only priority, unless there's anything to do with Merlin?” Percival asked, amused.

“No… well, yes. If anything happened to any of you, I would lay down my quest to find you.” Arthur said. His men nodded their appreciation.

“And the girl did us no harm. She just has magic- which isn't a choice she made on her own.” Percival said. “Killing her would be killing an innocent.”

“I suppose. But she did hit Merlin on the head.” Arthur pointed out. His men rolled their eyes. “I will travel back to Camelot and send out search parties to find him, for if I do not return within a day, the people will be worried. But I will be back to help search for him.” Arthur said.

“Okay. We will continue to search for Merlin, then?”

“Yes. I will be back within a day to join you.” And then Arthur gave them a sideways smile, and then set off through the woods back to Camelot.

In a matter of hours, he reached it. 

He first ran to his chambers to grab something to eat, but then immediately after he ran down a few flights of stairs to get to the council room.

“Merlin is missing.” He announced. “You must organize search parties- send them out into those woods. There we will find my other knights, who will help us follow the trail.”

“But my lord..” Gaius began. “Merlin is back.”

“Merlin is… back?” Arthur raised an eyebrow.

“He escaped, sire, and returned last night.”

“Well then. Council dismissed.” Arthur sighed, and then rushed down the hall to Merlin’s chambers. “Merlin!” He yelled, bursting right in. “Merlin, I was so worried! I organized a bunch of search parties to…” he frowned. Next to Merlin was a beautiful girl with eyes that were a perfect mixture of blue, green, and brown. Her hair had a slight reddish tint to it, but it was mostly brown and was braided down her back. She gave him a warm smile. He felt his heart drop.

“Arthur, this is Faythe. And I'm touched that you were so concerned for my well being. But don't worry, I escaped, and ran into Faythe on my way back to Camelot.”

“Finally found yourself a girl, I see.” Arthur raised his eyebrows. “Watch out, Faythe, he's not all that he seems. He's the biggest idiot in all of Camelot.”

“Shut up, Arthur.” Merlin sighed. “Faythe is my cousin.”

“Ah. I see.” Arthur looked from Merlin to Faythe, but saw no resemblance at all. Somehow, he felt relief that they were related and not together. “So I take it she got the beautiful gene, yet you did not?” He noticed the girl smile, blush, and look away.

“Ha, ha.” Merlin rolled his eyes, taking a bite of his breakfast. “Yes, I suppose she did.” 

“Well, then, Faythe. May I have the pleasure of showing you around the castle?” Arthur smiled at the girl. She looked back at him nervously. 

“Oh, Merlin has already planned to show me around.” The girl apologized.

“Is that so? Well, Merlin has quite a few things to do. Don't you, Merlin? Polishing my armor, washing my clothes…” He couldn’t convey how much he wanted her to stay, so he could show her around himself. He needed more excuses, more reasons for him to take her around the castle himself instead.

“Oh. Well, I will help him with that.” Faythe suggested. “I'm his guest, after all.” Arthur’s stomach dropped inwardly.

“You are a guest of Camelot, Milady. I would not want you to hurt your beautiful hands.” He then looked down at her hands which he noticed were heavily calloused. He smiled slightly. She obviously wasn’t much of a ‘lady,’ he realized. 

“You shouldn't worry. My father is a blacksmith, my lord. These hands can take pretty much anything.” She held out her palms to show him the scars.

“Well, I never would have guessed! You should meet Guinevere- her father was a blacksmith, as well, and I can see you two getting along nicely. I can arrange for a room for you in Camelot, if you'd like.” Ah yes, Guinevere, he remembered. He had to think of Guinevere… though was she really in love with him? No, she loved Lancelot. Didn’t she.

“Oh, no thank you. I wouldn't want you to go through the trouble. I’m perfectly content staying with my cousin here. Who’s Guinevere?”

“If you say so.” He shrugged, ignoring her question. His relationship with Gwen was too complicated to explain. “But Milady, you mustn't concern yourself with Merlin’s chores. It is his duty, after all, as manservant to the king.”

“I'm fine, my lord. And please, don't call me Milady. I'm nothing more than a lowly girl from a poor village.”

“As you wish, Faythe.” Arthur bid them both farewell, and then exited. As he walked down the hall, his mind was filled with the beautiful eyes of the lady Faythe. He had to force himself not to think of her- it was silly. He didn’t know her, or anything about her. 


	4. Kaia's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaia meets Gwen, becomes closer to Arthur

Kaia looked over at Merlin, one eyebrow raised. “Well then. I think the king has taken a liking to me! If only he knew who I really was. He'd have me killed.”

“Same here.” Merlin shrugged. “But don't think about a relationship with him- he's already in love with Guinevere, a servant girl and the daughter of a blacksmith.”

“Oh, don't worry, I wasn't thinking of that at all. No, no no.” She frowned, pausing for a few seconds. “You'd think a king would like someone of a higher class.”

“Yeah, but he's a good man. He believes in true love, not some weird form of strategic marriage. Back when his father was king, he had to meet a bunch of princesses and ladies, but the second he became king himself, we went straight to Gwen.”

“How do you do it? How are you best friends with someone who would have your head chopped off if he knew who you really were? I mean, you can pretend to be this… loyal servant guy, but really, you're the greatest hero in all of Camelot. You should be king, not Arthur.”

“Good idea. I should just go right up to him and steal the crown right off of his head.” Merlin sighed. 

“No, but really. How can you stand it?” 

“I can't. Honestly, I can't. Every time I look at him I just think; if only you knew. He calls me an idiot, but really I'm the smartest one in the kingdom- not to brag or anything.” Merlin added quickly, chuckling.

“We should go see Evænlyn and Aithusa. And bring them some food, too.” Kaia suggested. “She’ll be getting worried if I don't show up in a while.”

“Good idea. But we can't go for long- Arthur is really serious. I need to do all of my chores  _ immediately.”  _ They began to walk down the halls. 

Kaia frowned and tugged at her skirts. “Dresses are stupid. I can barely walk in this thing. Can I please get some trousers or something?”

“Whatever you want, Faythe.” Merlin shrugged. “But in a dress, you are less likely to be recognized.”

“I don't care about being recognized- I just want to be done with this stupid dress!” She said grumpily. Merlin laughed, and soon they reached the cave. Kaia grumbled angrily as her dress brushed the dirt floor, but when she saw Evænlyn, all thoughts of discomfort were gone.

“Breakfast!” Merlin announced, and gave each dragon a large chunk of meat. 

“I missed you, Evænlyn!” Kaia whispered softly in the dragon tongue. “And you must be Aithusa!” She looked over at the slightly larger- but still very small- white dragon. He nudged her with his nose, and and smiled, stroking his head.

“I think he likes you.” Merlin noted in English. “Not more than me, though, right bud?” He said in the dragon tongue. Aithusa let out an indignant chirp.

“Sorry, Merlin, you've been replaced.” Kaia said, a sideways smile on her face. “They're both mine now!” 

“Come on, Faythe, we have to go. Arthur will be angry if I don't hurry. He's already sent some men to get the knights and cancel the search party to find me, and he'll need to get back to his duties as the king when they get back.”

“Okay, okay.” She followed him back down the hallways, up some stairs, down a few more hallways, and to Arthur's chambers.

“Merlin! There you are. And the lady Faythe- good to see you again.” Arthur nodded to her, and she smiled back. “Here, Merlin.” Arthur tossed some clothing to him, and then put his armor on top of it. “Wash those clothes, polish this armor- oh, and my boots.” Arthur remembered, and added those to the pile in Merlin’s arms.

“Here, let me.” Kaia offered, taking the boots and the armor into her own arms. Arthur raised his eyebrows at the strength that she showed. She didn’t even strain at the weight of it all. Merlin shot her a grateful look, and then the both of them started down the hall and back to Merlin’s chambers.

“Thanks, Faythe. You really don't have to do this, you know.” Merlin told her when they reached the door to his chambers. 

“Yes, I do. It is only right of me, now that you are helping Evi and I.” Then she paused. “Actually, there is one favor you could do for me. Could I please borrow some trousers and a shirt? I mean, it's great how you were able to get me this dress and all, but as I said before… it just doesn't really work for me.”

“Oh, of course.” He hurried into his room and came back with some clothing for her. She took them gratefully, and then closed the door so she could change. When she came out, Merlin laughed. She looked like she could easily be his twin, if not for the lighter color of her hair and slightly darker shade of her skin.

“Hey, it's not even too big on you!” He said, surprised. She shrugged.

“I guess I'm just really tall.” She then walked over to the wash bin. “I'll start washing the clothes, then?” She said with uncertainty.

“Oh, we don't just wash the clothes. I'll show you-” he flipped the latch on the door, locking it. He muttered a spell, and then all of the clothes began to wash themselves, scrubbing themselves on the washboard. Kaia shook her head in amazement.

“I've never washed clothes before… if I would have known it was this easy, I certainly would have, though!” She looked over at the armor, and then muttered her own spell. The sponge soaked itself in the water and soap, and then began to shine the armor. 

“Hey, you're getting the hang of this!” Merlin nodded over at her. 

“And I thought I was looking forward to a day of scrubbing with my hands! I didn't know it was so easy to just use magic right inside of Camelot!” 

“Right?” Merlin agreed. Then he levitated the clothing up in the air, and spun it around rapidly, shaking the water out and drying it almost instantly. “I do the boots by hand, though.” He confessed.

Within a few minutes, they were on their way back to Arthur's chambers, shining armor and clean clothes in their arms. 

“Merlin! You're back!” A girl in a pale purple dress nodded to him when he walked by. “Who is this?” She smiled at Kaia, but looked confused by her trousers and shirt. She didn’t remind her of most girls, with her calloused hands and half smile, and scratches running up her arms.

“This is my cousin Faythe!” He introduced her. “I found her travelling on my way back to Camelot. She will be staying here for a while. Faythe, this is Guinevere.” 

“Nice to meet you!” Kaia held out her hand, and Guinevere took it, smiling. So this was the girl that Arthur was in love with. Her hands were calloused, as well.

“Nice to meet you, too. You are helping Merlin with his many chores, I see? Sometimes I think Arthur is a bit hard on him… but when he came back into Camelot this morning, he was swearing that he would never make you wash another one of his shirts as long as he lived if he could only get you back.”

“Is that so?” Merlin tilted his head.

“I'm afraid it is. But I see he has gone back on his word.” Gwen shook her head sympathetically.

“Oh, he'd never admit that he was actually worried in front of me. I pretended to be unconscious for about a minute, and Arthur was completely freaking out about how he was going to cancel the mission and save me instead. But the second I opened my eyes, you know.” He raised his eyebrows and Guinevere finished for him.

“‘Merlin, you idiot! What were you thinking?’” She said in a deep voice. 

“Exactly.” They both laughed.

“And... you said something about a mission.. what mission?” Gwen asked. Kaia tried not to glance up at Merlin as he spoke.

“We found a young sorceress in the forest. So of course, Arthur felt that it was his duty to chase after her, especially after she knocked me out. That blow really hurt my head, look at this bruise…” he held up his hair, and Guinevere sucked in a breath of shock. Kaia looked guiltily at the deep purple bruise on his forehead.

“Did you ever find her again?”

“No. She’s probably miles and miles away, and we don't even know which direction she went. None of us even got a good look at her face, so we probably wouldn't recognize her even if we did find her.”

“Well, that's unlucky.” Gwen sighed. “I hope she doesn't turn up again and, I don't know, wreak havoc on the city or something.” Kaia shifted uncomfortably as Gwen began to leave.

“We need to get these to Arthur, but I hope to see you again later today!” Merlin waved as she left. 

“Wreak havoc on the city?” Kaia muttered below her breath. Merlin laughed, and then Kaia joined in. They both walked into Arthur's room, laughing.

“Okay, what is so funny?” Arthur asked. Then he raised an eyebrow at Kaia. “And why do you look like the female version of Merlin all of the sudden?” They both just laughed harder.

“Here are your clothes, armor, and boots, sire.” Kaia deposited them on the table. “And it could be worse. At least I'm not wearing one of those scarves of his.”

“Hey!” Merlin bumped her on the shoulder, and Arthur chuckled. “You have no right to insult my scarf!”

“Oh, your arms were full before, and I almost forgot- my sword and shield need to be cleaned and sharpened.” He gestured to the gleaming silver sword on the table, and the shield bearing the Pendragon crest beside it. 

“Wow, this is a nice sword.” Kaia picked it up, feeling the balance of the blade. Arthur watched curiously as she sliced it through the air a few times before grabbing the shield, as well.

“You can use a sword?” Arthur asked, amazed.

“Blacksmith’s daughter, remember?” She reminded him. “I've won a few tournaments around my village, but I don't think I could ever amount to your skill, my lord.” 

“Hmm. I guess we’ll see. Meet me in the courtyard today after lunch. I'll bring a blunted blade for you.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “I’d like to see how your skills match up.”

“Of course, my lord.” She nodded.

_ Bad idea, Faythe…  _ Merlin’s voice appeared in her head. She only smiled, and then they turned around and went back through the halls.

“You shouldn't have told him about your swordsmanship skills. Remember, you had a sword back in the forest, and now with you in your trousers and shirt, recognizing you will be easier.”

“Don't worry, Merlin. I've got this. I'd like to get a chance to prove myself to the king.” She flipped the blade in her hand. “Magic isn't the only thing I'm good at.”

“Okay, okay. Fine.” He sighed.


	5. Merlin's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin learns of Kaia's past

Once they had finished with the sword and shield, and returned them to Arthur, they went back to visit the dragons. Merlin still felt nervous about Faythe going to meet Arthur and practice sword fighting. Her entire identity could be given away in an instant. And it would draw suspicion. But she seemed intent on going, and he didn't want to dampen her spirits.

“Evænlyn!” Faythe cried happily, rushing forwards to stoke her dragon’s head. Aithusa sidled up to Merlin and then leapt up onto his shoulder.

“Hey, I think you're getting a little too big for that, bud.” Merlin strained under the weight of the small dragon's body, which was a lot heavier than it looked. Since Evænlyn was a week or two younger, she was still light, and she sat easily on Faythe’s outstretched arm.

“How big do you think they'll get?” Faythe asked. “As big as the great dragon? Because I can't imagine Evi being that big…” she looked down at the tiny dragon.

“I'm sure she will be, though. And she'll live to be thousands and thousands of years old. So will Aithusa.” He paused. “They're two of the last 3 dragons in the world. They'll probably breed at one point to continue the line of their kind. They're practically the last dragons.”

“Evænlyn is the last female, isn't she.” Faythe frowned slightly. “Yeah, that probably will happen. But I hope by then, there is a dragonlord to awaken their egg.”

“Hopefully.” Merlin nodded. “But that may not happen for another hundred years or so. And surely I won't be around by then. And as the last dragonlord…”

“Second to last.” Faythe corrected him. “I'm still getting used to the thought myself.” She admitted. “I always thought that I was the last dragonlord, that Evi was the last dragon, besides the great dragon, of course… and I always thought that I would die the last of my kind.”

“Why would you think that?” Merlin asked.

“Because, well, if there were no other dragonlords, I would be… the last?” She raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look. 

“But if you were to have children, they would be dragonlords, as well, wouldn't they?” But Faythe shook her head.

“Haven't you heard? Dragonlords are passed from father to son. Being a female dragonlord is a curse. I can never have children, unless, of course…” she trailed off, giving him an awkward smile.

“Unless of course what?” He asked, wrestling Aithusa from his shoulders. “Hey, you great lump!” He teased, setting the dragon back to the ground.

“Your mother was just a normal, non-magic person, right?” She asked.

“Yeah… why?”

“Female dragonlords cannot have a child with a normal non-magic person. That's why there were not very many of them. They can only have a child if it is with another dragonlord or powerful sorcerer. And of course, it was very rare for a dragonlord and a sorcerer to be of the same age, to be unrelated, and even more rare for them to like each other. So females died out.” She sighed.

“Oh. Well, I never knew that...”

“And female dragonlords can only be birthed by other female dragonlords, so yeah.”

“But that means… both of your parents…?” Merlin frowned. “Faythe, they didn't abandon you. You know that, don’t you.”

“I know. I lied to you earlier, I just… yeah, they're dead. Killed by Uther. I don't know why I didn't tell you earlier.” She sighed, looking away from him. “I was about 3 at the time of their death. They hid me behind the house, under some hay and bags of grain.”

“Faythe…” he began. But he was at a loss for words.

“Just…” she sighed. “Don't say anything. I don't remember them, and I've tried to forget about them. It'll only hurt me to try and think about them and imagine what could have been.”

“Okay.” He said simply.

“I used to go to the village for food when I was younger, but when I turned 16 I stopped. It was hard enough to keep my identity a secret, but it was much harder not to fall in love.”

“Why couldn't… oh.” Merlin frowned.

“No man in his right mind would ever fall for a woman who couldn't conceive a child. I spent the entirety of my adolescent years trying to avoid any male contact, because I knew that it would never last if they found out.” Merlin understood her logic, but he didn’t agree with it in the slightest. To most men, it wouldn’t matter if she was unable to give birth. There was always the adoption of abandoned children, or similar ways to have children.

“That must've been hard.” He said.

“Oh, it was. Around that age, many amazing young men tried courting me. So I left. I never went back. I haven't talked to another human in years.” She gave him a sad smile. They sat in silence for a few seconds. “Make it very clear to the king and his knights that I am not going to be able to… be with any of them.”

“Of course.” Merlin nodded.

“I just can't deal with that right now. Having to pretend…” she was cut off by Evænlyn leaping from her arm and gliding down to sit beside Aithusa.

“I understand. But you still want to go to the training area with the king after lunch?”

“Oh, of course.” She grinned. “You should come, too.”

“Well, lunch is currently right now, so we might want to hurry back and eat!”

“Ah, of course.” She nodded. Merlin watched her with admiration as she said goodbye to Evænlyn and Aithusa, stroking both of them gently. Then she stood up and smiled at him. She turned around to rush up the stairs, and he followed.


	6. Arthur's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Kaia duel each other, all in good fun of course

“Ah, the lady Faythe! There you are.” Arthur addressed her. “Here- blunted blade.” He handed her one. “And Merlin, I see you're here, too!” 

“Not to fight, of course.” Merlin said quickly. “Just to watch my cousin here show you up!” Faythe rolled her eyes.

“Shut up, Merlin.” She laughed.

“Hey, that's my line!” Arthur said defensively. Faythe laughed some more, and he felt a gleam of pride that he had made her laugh. It was a very pretty, happy sound.

“Okay, then. What shall we do first?” She asked. Arthur watched in amazement as Faythe swished the blade gracefully through the air. “You against me? You know I'll lose.”

“She's bluffing, sire.” Merlin told him.

“I'm not, honestly.” She gave Merlin an annoyed look. “My cousin probably just thinks I'm such a great fighter because, well… he's kind of the opposite.” 

“Hey! I heard that!” Merlin frowned.

“He’s actually quite good with a sword. Though you wouldn't know it by looking at him.” Arthur pointed out. 

“I'm kidding, I know. He has many talents, actually.” Faythe said matter-of-factly.

“Like what?”

“Well, for one, he is quite good at polishing armor.” She noted. Arthur was beginning to like this girl- as a friend, of course. His heart belonged to Guinevere. Right? Though he didn’t know if her’s belonged to him in the same way.

“That he is. And I'm afraid the list stops at that.” Arthur teased, looking over at Merlin, one eyebrow raised. “I'm only kidding, you idiot!”

“Well, then. Shall we begin?” She got into a ready stance, and already, Arthur could tell that she was experienced. The positioning of her arms and legs alone was enough to tell him that she had trained for many years perfecting her form.

“Yes, let's.” He agreed. He knew he would win, of course, but he also knew that this girl would put up a good fight. And then she leapt forward, lunging at him with the sword. 

But when he reached up to block her, she quickly switched her position and swung low. Arthur was used to these kinds of tricks, though, and he quickly blocked the surprise blow. He swung back, trying to take her off guard, but she leapt back a little. They circled each other for a few seconds before he decided to attack first. He swung the blade at her side, which she blocked. Then as he swung again, she intercepted the blow and pushed his sword to the side, and brought her knee up right between his legs.

“Urgh..” he stumbled backwards for a few seconds, and she allowed him to regain his balance. He shook his head at her, but she only grinned.

“Sorry.” She shrugged, and then lashed out at him again. He blocked her blow, and then looked over to see some of his knights watching, amused.  _ Great, they're back.  _ He thought, and then swung right at her head. 

She ducked, and the momentum of his swing gave her the power. But when she leapt forwards to swing at his side, he was already jumping backwards. “You are very talented, lady Faythe. It has already been a minute- if you had been of noble blood, and of course, male- you would have just passed the test to become a knight.”

He saw her grin, but then she sliced at him with the blade. He leaned to the side to avoid it, but she swung again. After a few more minutes of fighting, they were both sweating hard.

“Ready to give up?” She asked between breaths.

“The king? Give up? Never.” He grinned, and continued to swing. But then to his surprise, she ducked to the ground and used an uppercut right to his chin. 

As she held the blunted blade to his throat, the knights, as well as Merlin, cheered loudly. He held out his hands in defeat, and Faythe gave him a lopsided smile.

“Which test would that be? The one I just passed? Surely something greater than knighthood?”

“That, Milady, would be what would win you the entire tournament of Camelot!” He looked at her in awe. She smiled shyly, and lowered the blade.

“He's going to try and tell you that he held back- which isn't true.” Arthur heard Merlin whisper to her. They both laughed.

“Hey, I heard that!” Arthur called. 

“Beat by a girl, I see?” Gwaine walked up to him, grinning broadly. “I mean, I can see she's not just any girl, but still. The king was beaten by this….” he eyed her, frowning. “Who is she, anyways? And why is she wearing Merlin’s clothes?”

“Here, allow me to introduce you.” Arthur grabbed Gwaine’s arm and pulled him forwards. “Faythe, this is Gwaine, one of my most annoying knights. Faythe is Merlin’s cousin, and will be visiting Camelot for a while.”

“Hello.” Faythe gave him a shy wave.

“I'm almost scared to shake your hand!” Gwaine admitted, but he took it anyway. “Something about you seems a little familiar. Are you from around here?” Now that he mentioned it, Arthur could see something in the way that she moved and ran that seemed almost familiar. He dismissed it as the fact that she was related to Merlin.

“I'm afraid not, sire.” She frowned. “But maybe we have met before. Which village are you from? I come from Farlin, and I am the daughter of the blacksmith there. It's a very poor village, so I'm sure you haven't seen it before.”

“I've heard of Farlin, but I haven't seen it, you're right. Hmm. I could have sworn there was something about you… nah, I must be mistaken.” He dismissed it. 

Faythe only smiled. “I've heard this one before. ‘Do I know you from somewhere? I could've  _ sworn  _ I've seen you somewhere before..’ But I'm sorry to say I won't fall for that one.”

“I see. But maybe you will fall for this, milady?” He held out a beautiful bouquet of blue and purple flowers. Faythe looked shocked, Arthur noticed. Though he didn't know why. She was a very beautiful girl, and the gesture was most likely very common to her. 

“Oh, really, I couldn't…” she began, but then Gwaine plucked one of the flowers from the bouquet and tucked it behind her ear. Arthur didn’t know how to feel about other men making advances towards her- though he’d only just met her, he felt something towards her that he couldn’t explain.

“To the beautiful, yet very deadly, lady Faythe.” He addressed her. She smiled, and took the flowers. 

“Oh, I was going to show Faythe around the castle right now, actually.” Merlin interjected. Arthur glanced over at him. 

“You can wait a few minutes, can't you?” He asked, but Merlin quickly shook his head.

“Faythe and I should be going right about now. Sorry, my lord. Come, Faythe.” Merlin nodded to her, and Arthur saw a bit of relief in her eyes before she left Gwaine to follow him.


	7. Kaia's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaia plans to leave because she doesn't feel safe

“Thank you.” Kaia breathed. “I was beginning to get a bit nervous. He was very kind, but…” she sighed.

“I know. Non-magic, non-dragonlord men are off limits for you.” Merlin gave her a sideways look. “So your options are very limited. But unless you are looking to marry, what would a little time with Gwaine hurt?”

“I-” Kaia looked away, but then she smiled. “You're right. It's not like I'm going to marry one of these guys. And he  _ was _ very kind. But my marriage options  _ are _ quite limited.” 

He frowned at her. “But even if I was in love with you, it is obvious that you have eyes for someone else.”

“Huh?” Kaia asked.

“Come on, Kaia, a blind bat could see it.”

“See what?”

Merlin glanced back to look across the training ground where Arthur was standing, leading his men in a drill. “Don't try and pretend, Kaia.” He grinned.

“What on earth are you talking about?” Kaia frowned. Merlin gave her a skeptical look and she buried her face in her hands. “No. No, that will never…” she sighed.

“Whatever you say. But it might.” He shrugged. She only chuckled and shook her head. 

“You're a good friend to the king, Merlin. You do so much for him, yet he doesn't even know it.”

“Tell me about it.” Merlin sighed.

“Hey, it looks like they're waving me back over!” Kaia noticed. She began to walk back to them. “Looks like they want you too, Merlin.”

“Great. I guess I'll be target practice then.”

“I don't think so.” She bumped him lightly on the arm. 

“Faythe. Merlin.” Arthur addressed them. “Some magical activity has been sighted just inside the border. We believe it was the girl.”

“The girl?” Kaia asked. “Oh, the sorceress that you were chasing! Yes, Merlin told me about her.”

“Anyways, the knights and I are going to go track her down. Though we cannot recall her face, we all know the color of her cloak and the rest of her clothing, which I am sure she has not changed.”

“And of course, I'll be coming along to cook all of the meals for them.” Merlin sighed. 

“Aww, cheer up. That's not all you'll be doing. There are  _ plenty _ of chores to be done.” Arthur assured him. Merlin grumbled under his breath. “But Faythe, we all saw how you fought today. And we agree that you should come with us, as well. And extra sword to help us will be very handy. That is, if you agree, of course.”

“Well, it depends. How long will it take?” 

“I can not entirely say. But I assure you that there will be no extra things for either of you to do when you return. You won't be missing anything.”

“Of course we will come with you.” Merlin responded quickly.

_ Aithusa and Evænlyn! Who will feed them?  _ Kaia asked frantically.

_ Gaius will! He always does. All I have to do is ask. _

_ But Evi will miss me! _

_ You'll be back, its fine. _

_ But- _

“Good. We will leave tomorrow at sunrise.” Arthur confirmed, and gave them both a grin.

“But are you sure this isn't a wild goose chase? I mean, you know the color of her cloak and all, but surely that isn't enough to help you find her?”

“Of course it is. Judging by where she lived, I'd assume those were the only clothes she had.”

_ He's not wrong.  _ Kaia told Merlin.

“And besides, we also know the color of her hair. It's similar to yours, actually.” Gwaine observed.

“I wouldn't say so. The girl’s hair was darker and more brown than Faythe’s. I got a close look at it when she knocked me out. I can't remember her face, exactly, but I know she had brown eyes.” Merlin told them.

“Merlin’s right.” One of the other knights nodded. “Her hair didn't have the same reddish glow that yours does.” He gestured to Kaia.

_ Thank you, Merlin. _ Kaia said, relieved. Out loud, she asked, “Is it true that drinks at the tavern are less expensive today?”

“Ah! You heard that, too. Yes, we were all planning to go tonight. Grab a few rounds.” Gwaine told her. “Why do you ask?”

“I was thinking of grabbing a drink or two myself.” She admitted.

“Well, then, feel free to come along!” One of the knights suggested. 

“You are not like most women, Faythe.” Gwaine smiled. “First of all, your swordsmanship is excellent, you accept a quest to chase after a sorceress, and now you are joining us in the tavern?” 

Kaia laughed. “Yes, I suppose I am quite peculiar. But anyone related to Merlin is bound to be. So, see you all then, after dinner?”

“No, stay a while longer. You can train with us.” Gwaine suggested.

“No, I couldn't… I'm not a knight!”

“But you beat our king here in a fair fight. Surely you deserve as much?” 

Kaia chucked. “I suppose. But I have many things to do. Any chore given to Merlin is also my responsibility, and Arthur has given him quite a few of those.”

“Ah, of course he has.” Gwaine sighed.

“So I am sorry, but we really have to go.” She bid them farewell.

“So, the tavern, eh? Are you sure that's a good idea?” Merlin asked.

“And why wouldn't it be?”

“Is it ever?”

“Good point.” She laughed. “And I can't believe this- I'm hunting myself! Everyone is searching these woods looking left and right and up and down for me, but the entire time I’ll be right next to them!”

“I don't know how I'm going to stop myself from laughing. And by the way, you're a good actor. You make all of your stories sound so believable!”

“Oh, that reminds me, thank you for covering for me. Telling them that the sorceress had brown eyes. That'll keep them from any suspicious thoughts.”

“No problem.”

“But if Gaius will be looking after the dragons… he'll have to know about Evænlyn. And if he knows about her, that means he'll have to know about me. And he can't know that.”

“I think he suspects that you're not my cousin, but certainly not that you're magic, let alone a dragonlord. I could just get him to give Aithusa twice as much food as I normally do, and say it's just because he's bigger. Then Evi can have half of that food.”

“Good idea. But what about when he goes in and sees Evi walking around? What then? He'll see her and then he'll know that something is up.”

“Well… we could always bring them both out of the castle and to the great dragon. He can take care of them until we get back.”

“Wait. He could just take care of Evi until she's big enough to fly me away, couldn't he? We wouldn't have to keep her in the cave, and I wouldn't have to stay in Camelot!” 

“That's true. You could do that… but then Aithusa would be lonely again. And so would I. You're a good friend, and I enjoy having you around.”

“And I you. But my life is in danger this very second. And my original plan was to leave as quickly as possible.”

“But Faythe… okay. If you want. You can do that. You can hide out around villages, living in anticipation and fear for the next few years, or you can stay here in Camelot where you are respected by all of the knights, and even the king.”

“Merlin, I don't think I can go on like this.” She sighed. “Being in Camelot is great, being respected is nice, but I can't make all of these friends who I know would kill me right away if they knew who I was.”

“You don't know that.”

“But I do. Because we're hunting me right now. And if I hadn't met you and came with you to Camelot, I would have been dead in a matter of days.”

“I wouldn't have let that happen to you.”

“You wouldn't have known me, though.”

“But I would still help you. I'd help anyone innocent.”

“But let's say that you didn't know I was being pursued. Let's say that you were off doing your own thing. Then I'd be dead. And all of the knights who cheered for me today would have helped.”

“Faythe, I-”

“Let's bring her to the great dragon tonight.” Kaia decided. She saw Merlin frown. “You don't have to help me if you don't want to. I can go alone.”

“No, I'll help you, I just…” he sighed. “You're the only friend I have who knows I have magic. You're the one person in Camelot that I can talk to about my gifts. You're one only person in the world who can understand my life as a dragonlord.”

“I know, Merlin. I feel the same about you- but I don't feel safe here in Camelot. Not with the magic-hating king breathing down my neck.”

“Okay, then.” Merlin finalized. “I'll help you tonight. We’ll bring Evi to the great dragon, and then you can go when you want.”

“I'll leave in the night. Tell the knights that I had to leave unexpectedly tomorrow morning when they see that I am gone.”

“Will I ever see you again?” Merlin dared to ask.

“I… I don't know. But I'll be heading in the opposite direction of where they thought I went, so don't let them go that way.”

“Faythe, just tell me. I’ll never see you again, will I.”

“I'm afraid not.” Kaia sighed. “You're the only friend I've ever had, Merlin, this isn't easy for me. But it's not safe for me here.” 


	8. Merlin's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang enjoys an evening at the tavern. Warning: drinking. No violence however
> 
> Confirmation: Remember, "Faythe" is the fake name that Kaia is using to hide her true identity. People knowing her name could lead to further persecution. When the story says "Faythe" it is always referring to Kaia.

They walked down to the tavern together later that day, as the sun began to set. Merlin didn't feel like going, but he knew that he should. 

Faythe was leaving later that night. His only real friend was leaving, and he would never see her again. It was Freya all over again. Sure, it was a lot different, because Faythe wasn't dying and they weren't in love, but it was a similar feeling.

Arthur and the knights were his friends, of course, but they weren't exactly real. Because if they knew who he was, he would most likely be exiled.

“Merlin, Faythe.” Gwaine addressed them. “We're still waiting on Arthur- he has a lot of work to get done. With the preparations for the celebration and all.”

“Celebration?” Merlin asked, nonplussed.

“For the sorceress, of course!” Gwaine said. Faythe looked just about as confused as Merlin felt. “Oh, we left that part out, didn't we! The sorcery that we saw in that area… she healed an entire village, we think. When we find her, we will be welcoming her with a position in the royal court.”

“Oh.” Faythe said simply.

“The entire village of Greywood was overrun with a terrible fever, and she healed all of them.”

_ No, I didn't… that was Evænlyn. But all the same… they don't want to kill me, Merlin. _

_ Yes, they don't. So stay! _

_ I can't, now that they know who I am and what I look like! They'll know that I lied to them for all of this time, and that you did, too. Harboring a sorceress, not knowing she was good? That’s a crime. _

_ Oh. _

“Ah, you're here, Arthur!” Percival greeted him. “The others are inside.”

“Ayyy!” Gwaine shouted drunkenly from the bar. Merlin rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at his lips as he walked in, surrounded by friends. 

“Fayte, Merlin.” Arthur greeted them, a grin on his face. “Try not to get too drunk tonight; wouldn’t want to be too hungover for tomorrow, huh?”

“Right. Tomorrow.” Faythe smiled, but Merlin could see the pain behind it. “Is Gwaine coming?” She asked.

“Of course!” Gwaine shouted.

“Why do you ask?” Merlin nudged her.

“Well, you said ‘try not to get too drunk’ and he seems to be… well. ‘Too drunk.’” Faythe pointed out. All of the knights laughed, and Arthur clapped her on the shoulder, explaining.

“If you’re going to be staying in Camelot, one thing you have to know is that Gwaine is always,  _ always  _ drunk. None of us can stop him.” 

“Ah.” Faythe chuckled. “He didn’t seem too bad today?”

“Oh, he hides it well. He’s become immune to the effects of alcohol, in a way. Unless he goes over the top with the amount he’s drinking.” Arthur glanced towards Gwaine, who was climbing onto a table. “Like now. Dammit, Gwaine-” The knights burst out laughing as Gwaine toppled off the table, Arthur just barely catching him. “I swear to god, Gwaine.” Arthur mumbled, which only made the knights laugh harder.

“This is a very fun crowd.” Faythe noted.

They all enjoyed a pleasant evening of drinking and talking, but Merlin noticed that Faythe was edging to leave after an hour.

_ Okay, you ready to go? _

_ Yes, Merlin, thanks. _

“Oh, I almost forgot! Faythe and I need to get back to Gaius.” Merlin said immediately. “This was a nice evening, thank you all.” As they began to exit, Merlin noticed Arthur staring after them- particularly at Faythe.

“Wait, wait!” Arthur stood up as they started through the door. 

“Arthur, we have to get back.” Merlin said nervously.

“Merlin- just for this one evening, could you go back by yourself? Whatever Gaius has for you two to do, could you please try to do it alone?” Arthur said, almost desperately. Merlin looked to Faythe for help, but she only shook her head ever so slightly. “I want to show Faythe something tonight.”

“Alright. But I’d better be going soon.” She responded, smiling at him slightly.

“So I should go?” Merlin asked.

“Yes, you can go. Thank you, Merlin.” Fayte nodded, giving him a knowing look.

“Have fun!” He continued out the door, glancing back at the pair. Faythe looked a slight bit nervous, but she gave him a confirming smile.


	9. Kaia and Arthur, joint POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Kaia start to fall in love

“So, what did you want to show me, my lord?” Faythe asked, once Merlin had left. 

“Erm. I thought you might want to go on a walk with me. And please, call me Arthur.” 

“A walk?”

“Yeah. It’s beautiful tonight, and you’re new to Camelot. And, well…” He trailed off, shrugging. Faythe laughed at his boyishness, smiling at him warmly. 

“I’d love to walk with you, Arthur.”

“Really? That’s great, um, let’s just go through the streets. They’re beautiful at night. The moon is nice today, too, and… Oh god. Why am I talking so much, I’m sorry-”

“Arthur!” Faythe cut him off. “You aren’t talking too much. You’re sweet, and I love the sound of your voice…” She could feel her heart lifting as it never had before. She had never let herself fall for a man before, so this feeling was so new to her. She was saying phrases she never thought she’d hear herself say. “You should talk  _ more _ . I want to hear what you have to say.”

“Lady Faythe, thank you! Wow, where have you been all of my life?” Arthur grinned at her, in awe. “You are truly amazing.” They walked down the stone path. “We ought to do this again tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah- if that’s okay?”

“Of course, tomorrow would be nice.” She smiled.

“We’ll be in the forest with the knights, of course, but we can still go on a late night walk, can’t we?”

“Yeah.” Faythe nodded happily. “I’d love that,”

“You’d  _ love _ it?”

“Absolutely.”

“Damn.” Arthur chuckled. “Faythe…” He shook his head. “So. Tell me about you. What do you like to do?”

“Swordwork, of course. There’s nothing I love more than sword fighting.” She began. “I love to swim, too. God, swimming is such fun. And I have this little hobby of drawing things, though I’d never tell anyone. Well. I just told you, didn’t I? I promise, I’m still just as tough.” Arthur marveled at how similar they were.

“I draw a little as well.” He confessed.

“Really?”

“Don’t tell your cousin.”

“My what?” She frowned. “Oh! Merlin.” For a second there, she had forgotten her lie. “Nah, I won’t tell him Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

“Good. Now, go on.” Arthur encouraged her.

“Well, smithing, of course… well. No, I don’t enjoy that too much. I do it, but the enjoyment isn’t necessarily a part of it.”

“I feel that. Sometimes, I feel like my kingly duties are a bit too much. I’d like to run away to the woods, to the forest… take Merlin with me, of course.

“Wow. I would never guess that you felt that way.” She frowned. She lived in the forest, and she had lived there for years. And to think that Arthur wanted that, too, was amazing to her. Maybe they weren’t as different as she first assumed.

“I want to hear everything about you, Milady.” Arthur smiled, moving closer to her as they walked. She felt her heart warm. They talked for what was nearly an hour- just laughing, talking, enjoying each other’s presence. The sky got to be pitch black, with the exception of a few stars peeking through the clouds. It was just beautiful. And the moon…

“Arthur.” Faythe smiled, stopping at the stone wall. “Come stand by me.” He stood there next to her, the both of them just staring out over Camelot. But then Arthur turned to her. Her beauty was more radiant than the moon. He reached an arm up over her shoulders, and she looked at him wide-eyed.

“Tomorrow we’ll go for a midnight swim, huh?” He said. “You love swimming, I love swimming. And I can tell you love the nighttime.”

“Yes, it’s quite beautiful.”

“Yes you are.” Arthur pulled her closer with his arm. “There is something miraculous about you, Faythe. You are just… oh, I can’t even find the words.” She leaned her head onto his shoulder. “How are you so perfect? Where have you been all of these years? I don’t understand-” He broke off, kissing the top of her head. “Never leave Camelot. Promise me.” 

She looked up at him sadly. “I can’t promise such things.”

“Well. At least don’t leave for a long while.” He smiled.

“Arthur…” Faythe began, as he wrapped his other arm around her, holding her to his chest. “What of Guinevere? I was told that your heart belongs to her.”

“It did once, but she’s made it clear who she loves. It’s Lancelot. I could never come between them, and we both know it. I didn’t want to give up on her, but it’ll never be.” He explained. “I have to respect and acknowledge what Gwen and Lancelot have. It’s truly special, a match made in heaven.”

“I see.” Faythe said into his shirt. “Arthur, I’ve been out way too long. Merlin and Gaius must be so worried…”

“Of course.” He squeezed her to his body before letting go, but he kept a hold on her hand. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be even better.” He began to walk, holding her hand. “Don’t speak to Merlin of this, please.” He added. “I, uh, I really enjoy your company. And Merlin can be known to be a bit of a…”

“Idiot?” Faythe finished, her heart sinking at more mentions of ‘tomorrow.’ It could never be. This evening with Arthur had been the best of her life, and her day with Merlin and the nights had been just as wonderful. She had friends, finally. And she had found a man like no other. But… she had to leave. Arthur didn’t even know her. The real her, anyways.

“You took the word right out of my mouth.” He squeezed her hand, and they walked down quiet streets of Camelot together, enjoying every second. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too, Arthur.” But a small part of her wished she’d never come. It only made it harder to leave, going back to her life of fear and loneliness.


	10. Merlin's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaia leaves Camelot...

“Merlin.” Faythe tapped on his door quietly. Merlin sat up abruptly, rushing to the door. 

“Faythe! Where have you been?”

“I was walking with Arthur. Let's go get Evi.” She said.

“Okay.” Merlin replied simply. They didn't talk until they reached the dragons, who were playing with a ball that Merlin had left for them. “Hey, guys!” He said in the dragon tongue.

“Evænlyn, it's time to go now.” Faythe said softly, and picked up the forest green dragon. She wrapped her in a brown cloak, and then looked over at Aithusa, who was whimpering, confused.

“It's okay, Aithusa. Evænlyn is just going away for a while. You'll see her again someday when you're big enough to fly away.” Merlin said. Aithusa began to flap his wings, rising a few feet into the air to prove that he was ready to fly off to join his friend, but he wasn't big enough yet.

“Come, Merlin, let's go. We don't want to make this any harder on them.” Faythe walked out with her head down.

They walked out of the castle gates undetected, by distracting the guards with a few barrels. They trekked through the woods for about a half hour before reaching a small clearing in the middle of the woods. 

“OH DRAGOON!” Merlin called. His voice was a deep roar, and was amplified to echo across the forest. A few minutes later, the great dragon appeared in the sky.

“I've never seen him before- he's huge!” Faythe whispered. “Will Evi ever get this big?”

“Most likely.” Merlin whispered back.

“Ah, Merlin. Who is this you bring with you?” The great dragon asked.

“This is…” Merlin frowned. Faythe was not her real name. “She refuses to tell me her real name, fearing that she might be persecuted for she is the last remaining female dragonlord.”

“A dragonlord! I see.” The great dragon looked surprised at first, and then he settled into a more calm expression. “Káera. I did not realize that you would come to Camelot so early- I expected a few years, at least. But you are here. And you come bearing Evænlyn, the dragon of the earth.”

“I do.” She nodded quickly, unfolding the bundle. “But my name isn't Káera.”

“I know, just as Merlin’s birth name isn't Emrys. But that is his name amongst the druids, as Káera is yours. Your real name is Kaia, is it not?”

“Yes, it is.” Merlin glanced sideways at her. “I need you to take care of Evænlyn for me, until she is large enough to fly with me. Then we can both disappear far away from Camelot.” She explained. “Can you do that?”

“Well, of course I can. But I fear that your duty in Camelot is not yet finished. Káera is written in the stars as queen of Albion.”

“The queen of what now?” She asked, shocked. “No, that can't be right. I can't be the queen of anything. I'm just a poor girl who doesn't even have a village to belong to.”

“Yet your destiny is not escapable. You are said to be the future queen of Albion.”

“But I cannot bear children.” She lowered her head. “I cannot be married.”

“You do not need to bear children to be the queen.” 

“I guess not. But I think you've got the wrong person. I don't understand my magic, or how I was born this way. You've got the wrong dragonlord. You've got the wrong sorceress. You've got the wrong queen.” She lowered her head.

To Merlin’s surprise, the great dragon began to laugh. “A young man some 10 years ago said something incredibly similar on the first day I met him.” He looked meaningfully over at Merlin. “Yet he did in fact turn out to be the right person.”

“We'll see what happens.” She shifted uncomfortably. “But I should really be going. Merlin needs to get back to Camelot before anyone notices his absence, and I need to get as far away from here as possible.”

“Of course, young warlock.”

“And be sure to tell Arthur that, well… I’m sorry. And I’ll miss him, too.” Kaia sighed. Merlin nodded. The great dragon bowed his head, and Kaia placed Evænlyn on his head. She sidled back to his neck, but looked down sadly at Kaia. 

“I'll visit you, Evi, I promise.” Kaia said. “I'll come and get you when you're big enough to fly away.” She turned back to the great dragon. “Take good care of her. And about my destiny- I’ll never be the queen of anything. I don’t belong here.” The great dragon just stared back at her, unblinking. 

“Faythe- Kaia, I mean… I guess this is goodbye.” Merlin frowned. “I'll miss you.”

“I'll miss you, too.” She said sadly. “Maybe we’ll see each other again. One day.”

“Maybe.” Merlin agreed. “When Aithusa is big enough to fly me away. Then I will come out to meet you.”

Kaia smiled sadly. “I sure hope so.” And then she flipped the hood of her mottled brown cloak up over her head, shielding her face and her hair. “Farewell, good friend. Thank you for all that you have done.”

“Goodbye, Kaia.” He said. He watched her disappear into the forest, the greens and browns of her cloak camouflaging her. And then when she was fully out of his sight, he looked back up at the great dragon. “Will she really return to be the queen of Albion?”

“Indeed she will. You will see her again. One day.”


	11. Arthur's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur awakes the next morning, to find Kaia has left...

“Merlin!” Arthur called from his bed. He sat up when Merlin walked in, the blankets falling off his bare torso as he stretched and yawned. 

“Breakfast?” Merlin held out a platter of food.

“Never has this looked more delicious!” Arthur leapt up, grabbing the food, and practically skipping to the table. “Ah, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping… today could not be more perfect.” He proclaimed. “Come sit with me, Merlin.” He patted the seat next to him. “We all packed to leave?”

“Er, yes sire.”

“Is Faythe ready too?”

“Well-”

“I cannot wait for our trip.” He sighed happily. “Want some?” He offered a sausage to Merlin, who looked surprised. “Here, take two. I can barely eat, I’m so…” He paused. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just happy.” Merlin looked pained, for some reason. Arthur frowned. “What’s wrong?” Merlin only shook his head. “Tell me.”

“I have to go. Meet me in my chambers when you’re done, okay?”

“Okay…” Arthur watched as he left, but his worry was soon forgotten. As he had decided, Faythe would be made the first female knight of Camelot upon their return from the trip. Finding the young sorceress would be difficult, but it would surely pay off when they found her and thanked her.

He ate his food quickly, and rushed to Merlin’s chambers.

“Hey, Merlin!” He grinned. “Where's Faythe?” He looked around expectantly.

“She isn’t here, sire.”

“Ugh. Where is she? With the other knights?”

“No, sire.” Merlin said quietly.

“Where then?” He stood with his hands on his hips, waiting. Merlin didn’t answer. “Well?”

“She left Camelot.” Arthur’s heart dropped.

“What?”

“She had to leave, I don’t know why, but she told me to tell you that she’ll miss you dearly and she’s very sorry that-”

“When is she coming back?”

“I- she didn’t say exactly.”

“A week?”

“No, sire-”

“A month?”

“I’m not sure-”

“Please tell me it won’t be more than a month?” Merlin only shook his head, and Arthur even noticed a tear forming in his eye. “Answer me! Please!” A tear fell from each eye. “Oh god, sorry Merlin, I didn’t mean to yell…” Arthur walked up to his servant, giving him a reassuring one-armed hug. “Do you at least know where she is?”

“Well, she should be in Farlin…”

“Then I will go there immediately!”

“Wait! No, she’s going farther, to visit and stay with another cousin, who’s family is grievously ill, that’s why she left, now I remember.” Merlin said quickly. Arthur shouted angrily, away from Merlin so as to not upset him. “It’s very far away, she said.”

“That’s okay. However far, I’ll go, I have to…” He stopped. “I don’t know why I’m getting so worked up over this. Forgive me.”

“That’s okay, sire, but it’s like. A whole week’s journey, on horseback. You’re the king. You can’t go anywhere for that long.” Merlin explained, and Arthur looked to the ground solemnly. “I’m sorry, sire. It’s been years since I’d seen her, as well.”

“I barely even knew her, so I have no idea why I’m getting so upset.”

“It’s alright.” Merlin frowned. “You really liked her, didn’t you?”

“Liked her? She was  _ perfect _ .”

“She was related to  _ me _ , Arthur.” Merlin smirked.

“Shut up, Merlin.” 


	12. Arthur's journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intervals of a week, a month, 6 months, and a year show Arthur's journey as he slowly begins to think of Kaia less and less.

**1 week**

“Good morning, sire. Breakfast.” Merlin said cheerfully, handing Arthur his food.

“Have you heard from Faythe?” Arthur asked eagerly, taking the food and sitting up.

“Not yet, she’s very far away.”

“Maybe you should write to her? Or I could write something?”

“I’m not sure exactly where she is, is the problem.”

“There's surely something we could do?”

“I’m afraid not.” Merlin sighed. “Eat your breakfast, Arthur.”

“Not hungry.”

“You haven’t finished your breakfast in days. You’re starting to look a little pale.” 

“Mm.” Arthur handed him back the platter, rolling over to face away from him.

**1 month**

“Good morning, Arthur, here’s your food.”

“Any word?”

“Not yet.”

“Is she ever going to write?”

“She’s never written before, in all the time she’s been alive.”

“Maybe she just doesn’t care.”

“Oh, I doubt that. She seemed to care for you very much.”

“I’m sure.” Arthur frowned, taking a bite of a biscuit. “These are good.” He noted.

“I’m glad.” Merlin smiled.

**6 months**

“Arthur, you’re up!” Merlin said, surprised, setting his food on the table.

“Yeah, it’s pretty bright out, isn’t it?” 

“It is. Ready for the hunt today?”

“Of course.” He smiled, but as Merlin left, he sighed. Guinevere and Lancelot were engaged, and though he was happy for them, it was difficult to process. He found it silly to think of Faythe so often; a girl he’d only known for a day. He ate his food quickly, calling Merlin to pick up his plate.

“That was fast. Might want to slow down, unless you want another hole in that belt.”

“Shut up, Merlin.”

**1 year**

“Get up, dollop-head!”

“Ugh, Merlin!”

“Rise and shiiine!” Arthur felt a pillow smack into his head.

“Get off me!” Arthur grumbled, but he sat up laughing, tossing a pillow back at Merlin. “Bringing anyone to Gwen and Lance's wedding today, Merlin?” He asked, taking the platter of food from his hands. “You know I’m not.”

“Nah. When you look like this, you don’t get many women.” Merlin stuck out his tongue, making Arthur laugh.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t look half bad, you know.”

“Really?”

“I’m kidding, you’re horrific. Maybe you should invite your cousin to come with us?”

“Still don’t know how to get word to her, Arthur.”

“Of course. Sorry for asking.”

“Don’t be sorry, I miss her, too.”


	13. Kaia's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2 years after Kaia has left

**2 years**

Kaia sat on the fallen tree, not even thinking. Just sitting. It had been 2 years since she had last seen Merlin’s face, and she had forgotten it. It blended right into her memory, along with the rest of the people she had seen. King Arthur. Sir Gwaine. The rest of the knights. All tiny, faceless specks in her mind.

Living in isolation for 2 years had been hard for her. She had visited Evænlyn every month for the past 2 years. This would be her last visit, she knew. Evi was huge now, and now Kaia could finally fly away with her. 

They would disappear into the sky, and would not land for days. When they did land, they would never go back in the other direction. They would find a place where magic was accepted, on the other side of the world if they had to.

Kaia lifted her gaze from the ground. It was time to go. She gathered up her torn cloak, pulling the hood down over her eyes, and began the small hike to the clearing.

“OH DRAGOON!” She began. She carried on in her loud, booming voice. Soon, she saw the two great shapes in the sky. Though Evi was huge, she seemed minuscule next to the great dragon.

“Kaia.” Evi greeted her. “It's been a while since I last saw you! Finally, we can fly away.” 

“Yes. Finally. We’ll be accepted, Evi! Respected, too.” Kaia reached up to stroke her head. “Soon we'll be free.”

“Will we ever see you again?” Evi looked back to Kilgharrah, who only shook his head.

“I do not know. You will be hundreds of miles away, and I must stay here for the sake of the young warlock, Merlin.”

“Merlin.” Kaia sighed. “And Aithusa, too. I can barely remember them.”

“It would be nice to see them again,” Evænlyn said softly. “Though I doubt we ever will. Aithusa was a good friend. It was sad to be ripped away from him so soon after we met.”

“You're right. It would be nice to see them again one last time… but we're so close to freedom, Evi. I don't want to risk anything. We've been waiting for this moment for years, and now it’s finally here.”

“I know…” Evænlyn sighed. Suddenly, the great dragon’s head turned to the side.

“Merlin is calling. I must leave now.”

“Wait!” Kaia cried instantly. “We’ll come with you. And then we can go. I just want to see him once more.” Evi bent down to let Kaia onto her back. They flew off after the great dragon in the sky.

Kaia almost laughed with amazement. The feeling of the wind in her hair, and the clouds below her was too much to bear. She held out her arms, closed her eyes, and breathed in the cool air.

They landed in a few minutes, though not right by where Merlin was. They wanted to let him speak to the great dragon while they stayed hidden in the trees.

“Aithusa is with him.” Evi whispered.

“Shh, I know.” Kaia whispered back. She gasped at first when she saw the huge white dragon, his blue eyes bright with excitement, his ears flattened back against his head and his neck stretched. 

But her heart lifted even more when she saw the young man, Merlin. All of her memories flooded back to her, and she could remember his face for the first time in years. 

The great dragon and Merlin talked for a while, and she caught her name in the conversation. “Have you seen Kaia and Evænlyn lately? Are they okay?” Merlin asked. Kaia smiled to herself.

“Oh, they are doing very well indeed. In fact…” that was their cue. Kaia stepped out of the woods, a nervous half-smile on her face. Merlin stared at her for a few seconds, and then to her surprise, ran forwards to wrap her in an embrace, lifting her a few inches off the ground.

“Kaia! I thought I’d never see you again.” 

“Same here. Evi and I are ready to leave, now, and then I just thought… well, I couldn't go without saying goodbye.”

“You're… you're leaving again?” Merlin asked. She nodded, stepping back. “But…Kaia, you just got back. You can't leave now!”

“I have to. I have waited for this day for 2 whole years. We leave tomorrow morning.”

“Oh.” Merlin sighed. “Then you have the rest of the day to stay here?”

“I…” she looked over at Evænlyn and Aithusa, who were greeting each other as old friends. Evi was slightly smaller and leaner, where Aithusa was more blocky. They conversed happily in the dragon tongue. “I guess I could stay here, for the day.”

“Then you have to come to Camelot! Just to say hello… the king asked about you every day for a few months when you first left. Now it's less often, but he still wonders about you. The knights were disappointed too when they realized that you had left.”

“I can't risk anything, Merlin… and I’m in no state to go to Camelot. These clothes are all torn, and I’m all dirty… I can't just walk into the castle and pretend to be Faythe again.”

“They wanted to make you a knight. The first female knight of Camelot. It was a surprise that Arthur had thought of overnight, only to find you gone in the morning.”

“Oh. But you have to understand that I can't go back…”

“As you wish. But you'd have a warm welcome if you did. And Evi and Aithusa could stay here.”

“But… Merlin. I can't.”

“I can bring you clothes from the palace while you wash in the stream! It'd just be for one day! Please?”

“I…” she sighed, looking up at his eager face. “Okay. But Evi and I are leaving in the morning, no matter what.”

“And Aithusa is leaving with you. He's yearned to be free for so long, and we've talked about him flying off with you for a while. If that's okay with you, of course.”

“Yes, of course. But Merlin, you'd never see him again.”

“I know… but it's best for him. He needs to be free to fly the skies.”

“I understand. He can come with us.”

“So, you're coming to Camelot?”

“I suppose so.”

“Great! I'll be back in less than an hour.” Kaia waved him goodbye as he rode off on Aithusa, and then went down to the river to wash.

“Aithusa is coming! Aithusa is coming!” Evi chanted happily. Kaia laughed, glad that Evi would have another friend wherever they went.

Soon, Merlin returned. Kaia’s hair was fresh and dry, and her skin was no longer dirty. She took the clothing gratefully, and when she put it on, she was Faythe again.

“Ready to go?”

“Yes. I am. I'll be back in the morning, Evænlyn.” Kaia glanced over at her dragon, who nodded to show that she had heard, it was too absorbed in talking with Aithusa to speak.

“So, you've been living out here in the woods these past 2 years?” Merlin asked. Kaia nodded.

“Yes- well, not these exact woods. I live about 50 miles away, in complete solitude. Merlin… the last person I saw before today was you.”

“You haven't seen another human in 2 entire years?” When she nodded, he sighed. “You didn't have to leave, Kaia.”

“Don't tell me that now.”

“Okay.”

“And I  _ did _ have to leave. It was the only way I could feel safe.” She sighed. “And I was safe. I was so well hidden that nobody even stumbled across me. But I was lonely. I didn't even have Evi with me.”

“I could have visited you.”

“You would have had to risk a lot to sneak out of the castle. And with Aithusa not being able to fly you, it would take days to walk. Don't think about what could have been, Merlin; think about what is.”


	14. Arthur's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaia returns to camelot, only to leave so soon

Arthur sat alone in his chambers, contemplating what he should do next. Ever since Guinevere had married Lancelot and moved away over a year ago, he hadn't seen her. He hadn't loved another.

He often thought of the beautiful lady Faythe, in her shirt and trousers, her hair in a braid, a half-smile on her face. She wasn't the same kind of beautiful that most girls were. It wasn't an elaborate beauty, with diamonds and jewelry and bright silk dresses.

It was more of a simple, natural beauty. Just in the way that she held herself. How her eyes seemed so big and bright. How the sword in her hand swished and flicked with such grace, yet was so dangerous that it could kill any man in a matter of seconds.

Her face had been a bit dirty, and she had a few scrapes on her arms. She always had a half-smile on her face, right between a knowing smile and a smirk. 

He watched out his window for Merlin to return. The boy left often to who knows where- Arthur didn't buy the ‘collecting herbs for Gaius’ lie, but he didn't question it either. Merlin had been a bit upset lately, seeming almost anxious. Arthur tried talking to him, but it never worked.

Never before in Camelot had there been a female knight. But never before in Camelot had there been a warrior so fierce yet so kind and noble. Over and over again in his head he played the scene-  _ Arise, lady Faythe, knight of Camelot.  _

But she had left.

But then he leaned forwards when he saw a familiar shape besides Merlin. There was a sword in her sheath, and she was wearing trousers and a shirt. Her brown hair was tied in a braid that wrapped around her shoulder and hung down past her chest, a brown cloak flowing behind her.

It was Faythe.

He practically skipped down the 7 flights of stairs, and then burst out into the courtyard just as Faythe and Merlin walked in.

“Lady Faythe! You have returned.” He addressed her calmly. Though inside, he felt as though he had a thousand stars inside of him.

“Sire.” She gave him a small bow, looking nervous to see him again.

“No need for such formalities! I welcome you as an old friend.” He smiled. “I have thought of you every day since the day you left.”  _ No, Arthur, that sounds….  _ He thought to himself, cringing inwardly. “Er, tonight, I will hold a small feast in your honor.”

“Well, I-” She glanced over at Merlin.

“She has to leave tomorrow morning.” Arthur's heart dropped at this.

“Just so soon after returning? No, there must be something I can do. Why must you leave so soon?” He began to feel frantic, and was trying his best not to show it. “Will you at least write?”

“I have to get back to my hometown. They need me there.”

“I can send some men to compensate for whatever you need to do there. You must stay!” Arthur argued. She only shook her head. “But the feast will still be held.”

“That really isn't necessary, sire. I am nothing but a poor blacksmith’s daughter. My ‘return’ to Camelot is nothing.”

“It is to me, Milady.”

Faythe laughed. “You always called me ‘Milady.’ I am not a lady, not a noblewoman. I am just a poor girl.”

“You are much more than that.”

“I'm afraid that I'm not.” She looked away from his gaze. 

“You are to me.”

“Oh, stop that. It's hard enough that I have to go, and you make it worse with your constant flattery. I don't want to leave, you know. But I have to.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be sorry, sire.” She said quickly. “Please don't hold a feast, though. Really.”

“Then at least dine with me tonight? It doesn't have to be a feast.”

“I-” She sighed.

“Go on, it's fine.” Merlin nudged her.

“Okay.” She smiled.

“Excellent! And will you join us in our training today?” He asked almost giddily.

“Of course.” She nodded. “It would be my honor.”

“The honor is all mine, Milady.” He smiled. “Today we will see if your training is still up-to-date, which I'm sure it is. And then after you attend to your business in your village, perhaps you could come back? I would gladly make you a knight of Camelot.”

“Really? No, you wouldn't. I'm a girl.”

“You're not just any girl, Faythe. There's something about you that I just can't quite put my finger on.”

“You said that to me the day we first met, I remember.” Merlin noted. “After you imprisoned me in a cell for calling you a prat.”

“Hold on, what?” Faythe laughed.

“Funny story, actually.” Arthur sighed. “I'll tell you one day, when you return. Maybe you can share with me some of your stories, as well. I'm afraid today just isn't long enough.”

“I don't think I'll return, though, my lord.”

“Well then I will come to you!” Arthur suggested. “If you can't stay here and be a knight, we can at least visit each other.”

“He likes you.” Merlin whispered loudly into Faythe’s ear. She only smiled sadly and shook her head.

“Hey, Merlin, I heard that!”

“As was my intention.” 

“You’re such an idiot, Merlin.”

“Well, you’re not denying it.”

“Denying  _ what?”  _ Arthur sighed.

“That you’re madly in love with-“ Merlin began, but Arthur slapped a hand over his mouth, turning to face Faythe with an awkward smile. She raised one eyebrow and smiled back, her typical lopsided smile that made her look so mischievous, yet so…. he didn’t exactly know.

Faythe, the girl who was both so beautiful yet so deadly. She could charm you with a smile, and kill you a second later. Her laughter was beautiful, too, but her war cries were even more so. She was so fierce. So different. She wasn’t a lady. She wasn’t a noblewoman, all high-up, dressed in fancy skirts. She was just a poor girl, a blacksmith’s daughter. Calling her “Milady” was a mistake. Faythe was a warrior.

He didn’t know her personally well enough, that was true. But he liked her. Very much. And he could see how well they would get along. Faythe was made for him. He was made for her. But now she had to leave.

“It makes me so sad that I have to go so soon.” Faythe sighed.  _ My thoughts exactly.  _ Arthur thought sadly.

“Don’t think of that just yet. We still have a small feast to prepare, don’t we?” He grinned. She smiled back. That damn smile, there it was again. He couldn’t like this girl. He was the king. She was a peasant. 

“It’s very kind of you to do this.” She said seriously. “I haven’t eaten a real meal in about 2 years.” Arthur raised his brow in concern.

“Not much food in your village?” He asked. 

“I’m afraid not, My Lord.” She frowned, shifting her weight to one leg. Her long-fingered, calloused hand rested on one hip. “But I’ve never been that hungry, really. Being so thin and all.” And that was another thing about her. She was thin, and beneath the tunic, her arms looked skinny. But when she rolled up her sleeves, there was nothing but thick muscle there. 

She didn’t have many curves- she was mainly just sticks. But her tall, thin beauty made up for it. She was so different. Nothing like the women he had fallen for in the past- short and curvy, with billowing skirts and frilly hair. But he had never  _ really _ fallen for them. They were more…  _ strategic  _ pairings. Guinevere had been different, too, but only in the sense that she was not a noblewoman.

He decided that no matter what, he was going to convince Faythe to stay in Camelot. And if she left, he was going to follow her to her town. As the king, he couldn’t be gone for more than a few days, so he would intercept her travel on the way. He wasn’t going to lose her again. 

——-

“This is delicious!” She exclaimed, sweeping her long braid behind her back, shoveling the food into her mouth. “Camelot has such great cooks.”

“They do, don’t they?” Arthur grins. “But don’t get between the head cook and her pies. Merlin and I have done that quite a few times, and she glared at us and shook her head whenever she saw us for the next few weeks.”

“Hold up, I need to hear this story.” She leans forward intently, her smile more beautiful than ever. 

“Okay. So, Merlin was like, ‘I’m hungry.’ And I was like, ‘y’know what? There’s some fresh pies down in the kitchen!’ And Merlin says, ‘No. No, no-‘ and I cut him off with a ‘MERLIN IT’S PIE LET’S GO.’ So we run down the halls and into the kitchen, and the cook is  _ in  _ the kitchen, and he’s like, ‘Oh, boy, here we go.’ And I’m just like, you know, ‘Shut up, Merlin!’”

Faythe laughed. “You say that a lot, apparently, according to Merlin.” Arthur laughed as well, nodding his head in agreement. 

“So we sneak around behind the cook, and there’s this huge thing of pies. Apple pies, raspberry pies, mixed berry pies. And we both look at each other and say, ‘Raspberry.’ At the same time, knowing which ones we want to steal. So we each grab a raspberry pie, and turn to run out but that darn cook catches us and starts screaming her head off.” He sighed.

“Wow. I had no idea that my cousin got into so much trouble- and you, as king, too! I never thought you’d be the kind to go around stealing pies.”

“Well, we  _ did  _ get away. And then we ran into my room, locked the doors, and we each took a slice of that beautiful raspberry pie. It was all worth it. But Merlin was a bit annoyed that we got into trouble.”

“Wow. That’s awesome.” Faythe grinned. “And you do that often, you say?”

“Well, not  _ often.  _ Just… we’ve stolen things a couple of times.”

“Are you and Merlin good friends?” She asked.

“Well…” Arthur frowned. “I’m the king. He’s my  _ servant…  _ we can’t be friends. That’s not… it can’t be that way.” He sighed.

“That’s not true. As king, you make the rules. And Merlin and you are obviously great friends. You don’t just go around stealing pies with your servant unless there’s a really strong friendship between you. And I’ve seen how you guys talk. He’s your closest friend, and everyone knows it, even you. But you’re too proud to admit it.”

Arthur looked away. “I suppose so.” He continued to eat. But there was truth in what Faythe said There was just something so special about her. Something so….  _ magical _ , almost.

And then it hit him.

The girl in the forest, all of those years ago. Right before Faythe arrived in Camelot. She held a sword in her hand, he remembered. And she had a long, brown cloak with something bundled up in it. The same brown cloak that Faythe had hung over the back of her chair… And how she left so suddenly, with no real explanation.

“Faythe.” He began quietly. “You’re not from Farlin, are you.”

“W-what?” She asked, her smile flickering. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Arthur felt embarrassed. What if he was wrong? He didn’t want to upset her. 

“What’s your father’s name? Your father, the blacksmith.”

“I-I…” She stutters. “My father… he… died. That’s why I need to get back to my village. My mother is grieving.” She lowered her head. “His name was Edward.” Arthur felt a pang of guilt. And then he remembered that the blacksmith’s name was not Edward. The blacksmith was named Charles. He learned this a while back.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He said sincerely. “Were there multiple blacksmiths in Farlin? Because I know a Charles Smith there as well.” Hoping he was right. Hoping that Faythe wasn’t as complicated as he suspected. 

“N-no…” She said, biting her lip. Her eyes met his, and he saw the pain swimming in them. The beautiful blue, green, and blue swirled together seemed so sad. Like a deep ocean, miles and miles of emptiness. Confusion, pain. It made him want to cry, seeing all of those emotions at once. “I’m not from Farlin.” She said quietly.

“Then where are you from?” He asked, dreading the answer.

“I’m not from anywhere.” She said, not meeting his gaze. “I don’t have a place to be. I live out in the forest.” 

“You did have a place to live once.” He said quietly. “And then we found you, and you lost your home.” He saw the sad recognition in her eyes. She  _ was _ the sorceress from the forest. “Why did you lie to me?” He asked, not angry. Just hurt. 

“Because you’d kill me if I didn’t.” She said cooly.

“I wouldn’t have killed you.” He said angrily. “You never meant us any harm.” And then he glared. “Wait a second. You hit Merlin over the head- he’s not your cousin, is he?” When Faythe shook her head, he pounded his fist down on the table. “Why did he help you? Did you enchant him or something?” Now he was a little mad, too. She hadn’t only lied to him about who she was- she had made Merlin lie. Maybe even held him at knife point.

“No! No, I would never hurt Merlin- he helped me because he knew I was innocent, and didn’t deserve to be killed. He did so willingly.” She paused. “Don’t be mad at him, Arthur.”

“No, I understand.” He sighed. “But you have magic.”

“Yes, I have magic.” She said softly. “But I’m the same person that I’ve always been. But now you understand why I have to go. I’ve been waiting in the forest for 2 years, not having talked to one other person the entire time. I only came back to see Merlin one more time before leaving him forever. And also so I could see you.”

“What were you waiting for?”

“I can’t tell you that.” She said sharply, standing up. “It was nice knowing you, sire. Now I have to go before you chop my head off.”

“Hold on, now- Faythe, wait!” He exclaimed.

“My name isn’t even Faythe!” She shot back. He felt the shock of this as if it were a blow landed straight at his face. But she didn’t make any move to tell him what her real name was. He was unable to speak for a few seconds, but regained himself.

“I don’t want to hurt you- I don’t  _ care  _ that you have magic! That was my father’s thing. Not mine. And I have this feeling that there’s magic with me, or something, because crazy coincidences always happen and I don’t know why. They always save my neck, though- random fires, falling chandeliers, avalanches, tree branches breaking at just the right time…” Now that he was started, he wasn’t going to stop. “I wish I knew what it was.  _ Who _ it was. Because without them, I’d surely be dead by now.”

“I think you know, Arthur.” She said cooly. 

“No, I don’t.”

“Who’s the one person that’s always with you? Who never leaves your side?”

“Well, besides Merlin, I don’t know. Gwaine mayb- NO. Gwaine is not- Leon? No, I’d know by now, surely-“ He paused. “Gaius?”

“No, not Gaius.” She frowned. “Just think. You just said it.” She turned to leave. He was confused by what she had said.

“Don’t go!” He called desperately. “I’m not angry at you! I don’t want to hurt you, Fay- whatever your name is!” She turned back to him, pain flickering in her beautiful eyes. “You have magic! So what? It’s about time that the stupid laws changed.”

“That’s the problem, isn’t it. I don’t want you to change the laws for  _ me.  _ God, Arthur, you are so  _ blind!  _ Just look around you!” She exclaimed. 

“I don’t know what you mean!”

“That’s what your problem is!” She shouted. 

“I don’t-“ He began. “Please, stay.”

“I can’t stay.”

“Not  _ in Camelot-  _ just here. Right here. I want to talk to you! Come back.” She walked over slowly, taking a seat in the chair across from him. “You’re quite good at keeping secrets.” He said quietly. “But I’m not. Merlin was right. I do like you. And you having magic doesn’t change that.”

“Stop that.” She sighed, looking away. “I’m not like most sorcerers. I didn’t learn magic. I was born with it. And that’s not all- my magic is more powerful than most. I’m the last of my kind.” She paused. “Well, there is one more like me.”

“What do you mean by ‘you’re the last of your kind?’ And who? Who’s the other?” He asked, needing answers. 

“I can’t answer either of those questions.”

“Yes, you can! Tell me,  _ please!”  _ He begged. “I promise, I won't be angry with you! Just tell me!” She sighed, leaning back and putting her face in her hands. 

“I’m a dragonlord, okay?” She said quietly.

“A- a dragonlord? The last one was killed years ago, along with the last dragon.” He said, dumbfounded.

“The last dragon wasn’t killed.”

“Yes, he was, I killed him myself.”

“You  _ didn’t kill the last dragon, Arthur Pendragon!”  _ She shouted. “And the last dragonlord? His son- his son is the one who’s been helping you along. The one who you’d be dead without. And if you weren’t  _ so damn thick skulled  _ I think you’d be able to see that!” She practically screamed at him. “I- I’m sorry, my lord, I-“ She began, half apologetic, half angry.

“Don’t be.” He said quietly. “His son?”

“Yes, he has a son. A son who had to  _ see him die in his arms.  _ A son who had never seen him in his entire life, and the very day that he saw him again-  _ he was killed.  _ His father was  _ killed.”  _ She spat. “And he didn’t even get to grieve. Now he’s living in the shadows, living in fear-  _ just as I am now.”  _

“I don’t understand- Balinor was dead before…”

She cut him off. “DAMMIT ARTHUR! He has to pretend he’s an idiot  _ every day of his life!  _ He’s the smartest man in all of Camelot, and he has to pretend that he’s a fool! He saves your life  _ every damned day,  _ and you don’t even know it. You yell at him  _ constantly  _ for being such a coward, when really, he’s the bravest man in the world.” She finished, her breath shaky. “I really think I should go now. Don’t follow me.” And before he could call for her to stop, she slammed the door behind her.

He just stared after her, breathless with shock. 


End file.
